Reid says all must face responsibilities

"We want to bridge the gap on policing, we want to see the institutions working and particularly from David Trimble's point of…

The Northern Ireland Secretary Dr John Reid this morning said everyone has to face up to their own responsibilities and commitments to resolve the quickening crisis surrounding the Belfast Agreement.

"We want to bridge the gap on policing, we want to see the institutions working and particularly from David Trimble's point of view and the wider unionist community we want to see movement in putting paramilitary arms out of use," he said.

Speaking on RTÉ radio this morning Dr Reid said efforts at the moment were not just about saving Mr David Trimble - who has threatened to resign on July 1st if there is no movement on decommissioning - they were about saving the benefits of the agreement.

"David Trimble has made an amazing contribution to this but as he himself has said it's not about personalities. Any agreement by definition involves different parties having parts of that agreement that they like more than others.

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"But it also depends on the parties too, looking not only to their own interests and their own rights but to their responsibilities to make sure the other parties on balance are prepared to go ahead."

Dr Reid said the last thing he wanted to see happen was for the Good Friday Agreement falter because there is no alternative agreement.

He asked all sides involved to reflect "very carefully indeed" and consider what is at stake.